


Cakes and Coffee (Modern Laurette)

by imightbeadragon (orphan_account)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Bakery, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Coffee Shops, Fluff, How Do I Tag, M/M, Minor Character(s), Multi, My First Fanfic, No Smut, Oops, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 16:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7321846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/imightbeadragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Laurens works in a coffee shop called "American Grounds" (i know im so funny) and writes positive notes on coffee he and Peggy send to the bakery across the street.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cold Streets, Hot Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a dumb idea inspired by a tumblr post. I've already got plans for the future of the plot, but I may include suggestions from you (ALSO the bakery needs a name, so if you have a good idea comment!) This is my first fic, so please go easy on the criticism

Main Street on a Saturday. It was busy, people of all sorts walking in every direction, bundled up in coats and scarves to shelter them from the unforgiving weather. Conversations melded together as the wind blew from all sides. John stared out at the quickly moving faces and noted how different it was in the humble coffee shop in which he worked. It was warm and still, like an empty living room waiting to be occupied. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling it back into a bouquet of curls, and with a snap, contained it with a hair tie. A soft ring and a burst of cold air marked the entrance of a new customer. Or in this case, two. Alexander, a busy student and loyal customer, shivered and without hesitation, walked briskly up to the counter. A girl in a sky blue sweater followed not far behind, pursing her lips as she caught up with him. 

 

“We aren’t in a rush, you’re here to relax today,” she said under her breath, “I don’t want to run every time I go somewhere with you”

 

“Eliza, I have so much on my plate, it’s a bit hard to relax,” Alex sighed and looked up at John, who grinned at the sight of his favorite customer, “Hi John, I’ll have the usual, one small black coffee”

 

“I’ll have a medium iced mocha, please and thank you.”

 

“A bit stressed today, Alex?” John asked, adding the prices together, “That’ll be $6.47, by the way.”

 

Alex handed the money to the warm face behind the register, but didn’t reply.

 

“Alexander?”

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

Alex and Eliza sat down at a table next to the front window, which read “American Grounds” in a bold, yet elegant font. Time seemed to fly by as the minutes turned into hours, and an afternoon had gone by. People cycled through, coming and going like every day. The sun neared the horizon and the sky was filled with flowering colors, bringing a lively light to the winter evening, and right on cue, the bell rang and a cold breeze sent a shiver down John’s spine. Peggy Schuyler walked in with a slip of paper and waved to their sister.

 

“Peggy! Are you here to take orders for the dinner trade?” John eagerly leaned over to face them. “Because I want a blueberry muffin today!”

 

“Yep, my shift is starting soon anyway. I hope the customers are ready for a lecture about misgendering again.” Peggy said with their brows furrowed. “Anyway, we need an iced mocha, one caramel latte and one black coffee.” 

 

They handed John a crumpled slip of paper. Every weekday around dinner John and Peggy traded coffee for pastries with the bakery across the street. No one really remembers how it started, but it had been tradition for quite a while. John was almost always there around dinner, and the bakery had the best sweets he had ever tasted, so he looked forward to this time of day. One thing he looked forward to more was the notes. Each day he wrote a note on one of the cups of coffee, just to brighten the day of someone who worked at the bakery. He never got anything back, but he assumed that was just because he wasn’t very good at writing.

 

“Here they are, Pegs! You’ve got our stuff on the list?” John rested his head on his hand and spun one of the mochas around to re-read his note for the day. 

 

‘You’re wonderful and unique! I can’t imagine anyone who does a better job at being you than you -J’

 

Good. This was just as good as the others.

 

“Alrighty, I’ll get back here with snacks soon.”

 

“See ya! Don’t die or anything!” Eliza shouted as they walked out the door.

 

\- - - - -

 

The door to the bakery opened, and the smell of warm cakes and flowers wafted outside. A rainbow of pastries lined the display cases, intricate labels separated different desserts. 

 

“Madame Peggy!” A man in an apron whistled playfully as they walked up to Peggy. “I see you have the drinks with you, thank you!”

 

“Uh, Lafayette, I’m not a girl.”

 

“Oh! My apologies, I should have known. Here, let me get those for you.” It wasn’t hard for him to understand what Peggy meant.

 

He took the drinks, appreciating the warmth they supplied, and set them down where his friends could take them, grabbing his own and turning it mindlessly.

 

“Hercules! Angelica! The coffee is here!” Laf gestured to his friends and rubbed his neck, “Thanks again, Peggy. Got the list for us?”

 

Angelica grabbed her iced mocha and adjusted the pink barrette that held her hair back.

 

“Laf, you have a black mark on your neck, it kinda looks like ink.” Hercules said as he sipped from a cup that looked disproportionately small in his hands.

 

Lafayette looked at his hands and realized there was ink on them. His coffee cup had black fingerprints on it, smudging every time he touched them. A half-ruined note in black pen practically begged to be read.

 

‘You’re wonderful and unique! I can’t imagine anyone who does a better job at being you than you!’

 

It looked like there was a letter there, but it was illegible.

 

He could make out most of it. Peggy said it was from a boy named John. He decided to write back, and asked which pastry was going to be his.

 

“I’m pretty sure John asked for the blueberry muffin.” Peggy said

 

“Got it! You’re wonderful, mon cher,” Laf wanted to make sure John knew he appreciated the note, despite not reading all of it. He took a pen and the muffin box.

 

‘Your note was very uplifting, and I’m sure you’re a wonderful person as well! Stay hydrated, beautiful! -L’

 

Peggy took the cakes and went on their way, wishing everyone a good evening.

 

The rest of the evening went calmly. The bakery wasn’t very busy after dinner, which gave Lafayette plenty of time to overanalyze and daydream about who wrote the note on his latte. He watched the steam swirl in front of his and tried to imagine what the writer looked like, sounded like. Was it someone he knew? He had a petty crush on someone that he hadn’t even met yet.

...Yet.


	2. A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John finally meets everyone's new friend, Lafayette, who has lived with Hercules since he moved from France.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait!! I've had a really hard time finding the motivation to write. This chapter is longer than the last one, though, so I hope it was worth the wait!

John had no idea how to react. He had never gotten a note back before. It was nighttime, and the busy street had calmed down, the howling wind was now a quiet murmur.

“Pegs, it’s about time for me to go!” he said looking at his watch. 

“See ya, dork. Don’t lose your head over that little letter,” They tapped the box and started cleaning the shop for the night. 

“Yeah Eliza and I should probably go too. I’ll see you tomorrow, John!” Alex patted John’s shoulder sincerely.

“Definitely.” John replied softly.

They walked out hand in hand, swinging their arms a bit.

He smiled slightly and stepped outside as the fresh night air burst through the door. His formerly unrequited notes finally meant something! Of course writing wasn’t really Johns strong suit, but it felt nice to get some recognition. He took a deep breath and felt the crisp, cool air in his lungs, and with a sigh, finally let himself unwind.

John lived alone. His apartment was decently sized, and he was comfortable. His dad left him with more than enough money after he moved out, but he wanted to be independent. He didn’t need Henry Laurens to be his ATM. His shoes flew off his feet and landed across the living room with a thud, and cushions hugged his tired body as he fell onto the couch. His hair went down, sending a relieving ease of tension across his scalp. Now was the time to relax.

His phone buzzed.

**Alex:** How you doin bud? You seemed kinda out of it tonight :/

**John:** Oh im ok, just thinking about that note thing

**John:** Do you know anyone starting with L?

**Alex:** Laurens is the only L name i can think of ;) maybe ask burr though??? He knows a lot of people in the area

He fiddled with the pink box he took home with him, lazily opening and closing it as he struggled to keep his eyes open. There was still half a muffin inside. The elegant handwriting blurred out of focus. He couldn't even expend the effort to fix his eyes on anything. Maybe he could get a few winks of sleep and his phone would wake him up.

John woke up, still on the couch. The sun shone through the curtains and dust floated leisurely in the air. He rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the drowsiness of those first few seconds awake.

His phone buzzed.

**Burr:** You’re late.

**Burr:** I’m not covering for you again.

**Burr:** You’d better not be hungover.

**Burr:** It’s 11:30, how are you still asleep?

“Shit,” he muttered to himself.

**John:** ILL BE RIHGT THERE

**John: *** RIGHT

He jumped off the couch as quickly as he could, sending the pastry box flying across the room towards his shoes. There wasn’t time to change clothes. Before he knew it he was running down flights of stairs with his shoes barely tied and half a muffin in his mouth, trying to put his hair up and-

The coffee shop door bell rang. Burr was waiting for him with a vexed look on his face. 

“Finally,” Burr said indifferently. “Mister John Laurens, in the place to be. It’s about time you got here.”

“Burr, I'm really sorry man. You see I was just really tired and-” He realized he was talking with his mouth full. “Oh, do you know anyone starting with L?”

“That depends, why are you asking?”

“Well someone who’s name starts with L replied to one of my dumb notes last night. I was wondering if you maybe knew who?”

“That sounds like Lafayette. He's all about that sappy stuff.”

“Lafayette?”

“He works at the bakery across the street,” Burr said while handing a customer their drink, “Hercules and Angelica work there too.”

John already knew Hercules. The Schuyler siblings were all good friends with the two of them, they all got along well. Why hadn’t John met Lafayette before?

“Lafayette is fairly new to the area,” Burr continued, “He moved from France not long ago, and Hercules was nice enough to let him live with him for a while. They’ve gotten pretty close.”

“Hold on, Burr, I gotta get this.” John patted him on the shoulder and stepped back from the counter. 

**Peggy-rita:** DUDE EVERYONE IS MEETING AT THE BAKERY FOR LUNCH OR AROUND-LUNCHTIME-DESSERT IDK

**Peggy-rita:** YOU GOTTA COME!!!!

**Peggy-rita:** YOU CAN MEET LAF FINALLY,, I CANT BELIEVE WE DIDNT INTRODUCE YOU TWO

**Peggy-rita:** MEET US INSIDE!! 5 MIN!!

**Peggy-rita:** ok but leave burr there someone has to handle the coffee. 

“Burr I gotta go”

“But-”

“I owe you one!”

He was already out the door before he let Burr finish. Alex frantically waved to him from the other side, his ponytail whipping Eliza in the face. She batted his hair away and beckoned him over too. It looked like Peggy, Eliza, and Alex were all waiting outside for him. He made it over and looked inside the bakery. Hercules was leaning over the display case, gesturing rapidly like he was telling a story. A tall, muscular man rolled his light blue sleeves up to his elbows and wiped his eyes, beaming and shaking from laughter. He didn’t look familiar. The four of them walked in together, discussing what they wanted.

“So then I said, ‘lock up your daughters AND horses!’” Hercules finished, slamming his hand on the glass and roaring with laughter. “Laf, you gotta believe me. That story kills every time.”

“I do!” Lafayette exclaimed through a fit of giggles. He turned to each face that walked into the bakery. “It’s wonderful to see you all again!”

“Oh! You haven’t met John yet,” Eliza sweetly nudged John forward. “He’s the one that writes all the stuff on the coffee cups.”

“That was you?” 

“Ha, yeah. I suck at writing though so its-”

“It was great! I loved it.” He glanced over at Hercules, who shook his head at Laf’s sentimentality. John could have sworn he saw Laf blush. “So you guys were getting snacks?”

“Yep,” Alex butted in, “We decided on cupcakes, right?”

The group nodded. Individual boxes were passed to their owners, each cupcake looking more intricate and appetizing than the last. Each one was in it’s own box. The pastels of the outside perfectly complimented the desserts inside. He was enthralled by the beauty of them when he felt his phone go off.

**Burr:** When are you coming back? More people are coming in. I need your help here.

“Guys, Im gonna have to head out.” John sighed. “Thanks for the cupcake! It looks fantastic.”

He gave his money to Hercules, and ran out the door, holding the box tightly. Something shoved him forward and he stumbled ahead, nearly crushing the box in his hand to keep it from falling.

“Watch where you’re going, ass.” 

“Lee, don’t you have anything better to do?” John hissed.

Lee ran one hand through his dark hair and flipped John off with the other. He straightened his hoodie and arrogantly left. John never liked him. He carefully opened the box he had held so tightly to make sure his cupcake was still intact. There were pen marks on the inside he hadn’t noticed before. Did Lafayette leave another note for him?

_ Wait,  _ He thought to himself,  _ This isn’t a note. _

_ This is his phone number. _   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!! (I put a lot of lyric references in this chapter lol) The bakery still needs a name, ugh. Anyway kind criticism is appreciated, and have a wonderful day!


	3. Lilacs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Lafayette have been... 'friends' for a while now, and everyone is tired of them denying anything else between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a timeskip a few months after john got laf's number!! Sorry for the late upload, ive been working on another laurette story on here and I didn't know how to continue this one until I got the idea for this chapter!!

John and Lafayette were easily the best friends anyone on Main Street had seen in a long time, but the salty air by the bay was filled with wishes for a stronger relationship between them. As winter had come and gone, and spring was nearing its horizon, the two of them had gotten closer than Burr was comfortable with. During breaks, John would stroll across the road into Chesapeake Bakery, having friendly conversations with the occasional eruption of laughter. Through the window of the coffee shop he saw John leaning on Lafayette, his hand on the other man’s apron strap.  _ Could they just, stop touching each other?  _ Burr silently complained. 

The bell welcomed two girls into the shop. Eliza and Maria walked in with arms linked, each of them greeting Aaron with a bright grin. Maria had always been shy, so it wasn’t unusual for her to cling to a friend when she wasn’t comfortable.

“Are you seeing this?” he said, gesturing to the two men across the street. “And they say they’re ‘just friends’” His comment was completed with air quotes. 

“Let them be, Aaron.” Maria insisted. 

“Or,” Eliza said, “We can give them a little push in the right direction.” She obviously had an idea here, wanting to play matchmaker. 

The two girls shared a look that spoke for itself. There was a whole conversation that happened in only sideways glances and small gestures. 

_ ‘Are you sure about this?’  _ Maria said with her eyes.

Her nerves had always gotten the better of her. 

“It’ll be fun.” Eliza reassured her, “Besides, they  _ belong  _ together. Anyway, two of the usual, Burr?” 

Two cappuccinos with cinnamon hearts on top. Aaron tried his hardest to make the hearts look good, but he wasn’t an artist. He took extra care with Maria’s cup. The two girls sat at the table near the window and discussed their plan.

Aaron looked at Maria with a sort of protective tone. He had just helped her out of a toxic relationship with James Reynolds, wow how he hated that guy. He had treated her horribly. Maria confided in him about the abusive nature of his actions, hesitant to talk about it at all. Aaron wanted little more than for her to be happy.

_ Just focus on your work, someone’s gotta do it while John’s off flirting. _

\-----

**Liza:** Can you meet me at that new restaurant @ 6? U know, the one with the flowers :P

John was sitting on his couch with his phone in hand after a short day at work, his feet rested on the coffee table in front of him.

**Liza:** XD lol i forgot the name, you’re gonna wanna dress up a bit though

**John:** sure why?

**Liza:** Alex Maria and i are going!!

**John:** ill be there

John jumped up from his seat and rummaged through his dresser. His eyes scanned the perfectly organized drawers like a metal detector on the beach.  _ Beep… beep… beep… beep beep beep!  _ A light blue dress shirt. He went through another drawer, and found a pair of khakis. He wasted no time getting dressed.

It was 5:27, confidence radiated from his smile. John looked in the mirror and scanned his ensemble for flaws. Not a thread out of place!  He was ready to go. 

\-----

John arrived at the restaurant a few minutes late. The scent of lilacs made it’s way to him, but the sweet air stayed under the entrance’s red canopy. He chuckled as he remembered reading online that lilacs represented the start of a new romance. 

**Liza:** Have fun!! XD

A look of discontent made its way onto John’s face. She said that like she wasn’t there. Did something come up and she just didn’t tell him? He quickly slipped through the crystal-clear revolving door, glancing down at his phone and typing anxiously.

**John:** what do you mean? arent you here too?

**Liza:** >:3

_ Huh. Weird. _

John gulped, looking around frantically. This place was fancier than he thought it would be. It was immaculately cleaned, with a dark marble bar and a tablecloth on every table. There wasn’t a booth in sight. He felt out of place in the upscale, unfamiliar restaurant. As he took in the overwhelming amount of new things, he set his eyes on the one thing he recognised. 

Lafayette?

He was the only person there that John knew. Eliza and Maria were nowhere to be seen, and if Alex was there he’d’ve been heard well before John walked in. Despite the surprise that seemed to be glued to his face, he wasn’t at all upset. Of course Eliza would do something like this.

“Well you look nothing like your profile picture!” the Frenchman joked and gestured to the chair across from him. “Please, sit!”

John found his eyes travelling up and down Lafayette’s body without his permission. He couldn't help but notice how the man’s ruby-colored dress shirt was a little too tight around his biceps, and that he held his pinky out a little when he picked his cup up.  _ Oh God he’s really cute. _

_ Sit down stupid!  _ He shook the fog from his head and promptly seated himself across from Lafayette. He wanted to be closer. 

“Were you in on this?” John questioned, careful not to sound like he would rather be somewhere else.

Lafayette twiddled his fork between his thumb and forefinger. 

“She didn’t think you’d come if you knew it was a d- um, knew it was going to be just us.”

“I don’t mind,” John smiled warmly.

Laf rubbed his facial hair, his fingers meeting at his chin, and replied, “Well then, let’s order our food!”

\----- 

For the most part, their conversations were light and uplifting.

“I’ve never been here before!”

“Me either, but I'm more happy to see you!”

John’s laughter brought an even bigger smile to Laf’s face, he admired the dark crinkles that gathered in the outer corners of his eyes. 

“You’re such a flirt.”

“I try my hardest”

But not everything was so cheerful.

“Laf?”

“What is it, mon ange?” He rested his hands on John’s.

“Well I just,” he blushed and turned his face from the man sitting across from him, “If this is a date, I mean I’m enjoying myself, I…”

Lafayette breathed softly and patiently. If John had something important to say, there was no rush. The last thing he wanted to do was make John uncomfortable. He stroked John’s hand with his thumb, moving it in small circles.

“My dad isn’t very supportive of this sort of thing. He only agreed to help me pay for my apartment if I didn’t get a boyfriend, so he sure as hell won’t be happy about this.” John confessed, taking a sigh afterward. 

_ Oh,  _ he thought.

“But I want to be with you! I don’t know, maybe I can find a way to pay for it.” 

“Why don’t you live with me?”

“What?”

_ Doesn’t he live with Hercules anyway?  _ John didn’t want to inconvenience either of them.

“Live with Hercules and I!” Lafayette eagerly moved his hands up to grip John’s shoulders. “Think of how much we’d get to see each other, and we could be together without you having to worry about money!”

“That’s… that’s a wonderful idea, Laf.” 

He leaned over and kissed his boyfriend’s cheek.

_ Boyfriend. That word fit Lafayette so perfectly. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it!! (if you couldn't tell, I really like maria!! I kind of included her in here just for fun) please leave advice/compliments in the comments and i'd love to get suggestions for this story from you guys! I have a general idea of where the plot is going from here but there will be plain fluffy chapters too.


	4. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John moves in with his boyfriend, but of course there will be obstacles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE!! ive had the hardest time writing (kinda blaming it on anxiety tbh) but I'm so happy it's out!! I'm so happy to have finally continued this! I hope you all like where this is going.
> 
> **special thanks to A Simple Peach (here on ao3) and to my friends who have been so supportive of me!! you know who you are**

Today was the day that John moved in with his boyfriend! Lafayette and Hercules were coming over soon to help him pack his things. Any furniture that wouldn’t fit in their apartment was going to a local thrift store. John couldn't be happier to get rid of the furniture his father paid for. 

There was a knock on the door.

He puffed his chest out and breathed deeply, rocking himself on his heels before he let the two stronger men into his house. 

“Thanks so much for helping me get everything out of here!” he gushed, grabbing the to-be-filled cardboard boxes Hercules handed him and jogging to his room.

_ Now’s the time, _ John said to himself,  _ This is kinda symbolic, I guess.  _

Dust gathered in clouds and spirals in the air, being caught by morning light through the bedroom window. John played his music for some background noise; It helped him focus. He faced his dresser with his back to the door, carelessly shoving his clothes into boxes with no regard for wrinkles or the lack of organization. He scrunched his nose as he felt something wrap around his waist from behind. 

“Gil, what are you doing?”

“Gil? That’s new,” he rested his head on John’s shoulder.

Despite Lafayette’s sarcastic tone, he seemed to enjoy being called by something other than his surname. He nuzzled his face into the loose, tumbling hair that ended at his boyfriend’s slender collar.

“You look so pretty with your hair down,” he purred, squeezing tightly and practically begging for affection.

John turned his head and their lips met, fitting perfectly like two puzzle pieces waiting to be connected. The clothing, lazily stuffed in boxes, was long forgotten, and the two boys were swept up in the exchange of love between them. It wasn’t long before John was lifted into the air, left gasping and giggling from the shower of kisses on his face and neck. They fell on the bed, ignoring the screeching of old springs and basking in each other’s close presence.

“I knew you two would get distracted,” Hercules complained. His voice was a low rumble, somehow managing to be blunt and sharp at the same time. “I’m the only person in here who’s actually working.”

“Shhh!” John put his finger to his lips and rested his hand on the shoulder of the man curled up next to him, their legs tangled and fingers intertwined. John could feel the other’s breath warming his neck.

“I can handle it, you two enjoy yourselves,” Hercules said sincerely.

He shook his head, turning to leave the two boys to themselves. 

_ Ring! _

The bare mattress was scratchy. It rubbed harshly against John’s forearm as he reached for his ringing phone, the clamor tainting the still silence that surrounded them. Laf let out a disappointed sigh.

“Hello?” John cleared his throat dryly.

“Hello, Jack.” 

_ Damn it.  _

_ It’s my dad,  _ John mouthed,  _ He doesn’t know about us yet. _

“Are you, by any chance, free today?” Henry asked. “I could use your help around the house.”

“Oh, n- no.” John stuttered. 

“Okay,” Henry paused. He scrunched his nose at the,  _ affectionate  _ sounds coming from the other end of the line. “Are you with someone?”

“No dad!”

Lafayette rolled on top of John, holding him tightly and resting his head on his chest. John didn’t even notice his boyfriend reaching for the phone. 

_ Muah! _ Laf pecked his cheek one last time before snatching it from him.

“GIL!”

The phone wasn’t in John’s hand. He swung his head around to see Lafayette holding the phone to his ear.

“Ah, Monsieur Laurens!” He giggled.

He leaned over the side of the mattress. The phone was well out of John’s reach despite his frantic grappling.

“I’ve heard so much about you, sir.”

There was confused  _ ‘Excuse me?’ _ from the other side of the call. 

_ ‘Who are you?’ _

“DAD! I’m so sorry.” John sighed with relief and tossed his hair out of his face. “I’ll talk to you later.”

The room was nearly empty. John hung up the phone and looked around with a sense of dread, coming from both the anxiety of the phone call and the new experience that would be him moving in with Hercules and Gilbert. There wasn’t much to look at, only a now-empty dresser, boxes ready to be carried out, and the mattress the two boys were resting on.

“Well that wasn’t how I planned to tell him,” John croaked, “Gil?”

“Yes?” Lafayette asked, sprawled across the edge of the bed, his nose grazing the dirty carpet.

“Maybe leave talking to  _ my  _ dad to me… this is a sensitive topic.”

The moments that followed were uncomfortable. The air was heavily strung with the sound of John’s nails running across the rough fabric of the mattress. 

“Are you two, uh, busy?” There was a knock as door creaked open. Hercules stood in the doorframe. “It was kinda noisy in here and I just wanted to know if you had any boxes I could take so you could have some… time alone.”

“No, it’s fine.” John got up and handed his clothes to Hercules. 

“Everything alright, buddy?” He asked, taking the boxes out of John’s thin arms.

John nodded. 

“Hm. Alright then.” Hercules said. He knew it was best not to prod if someone wasn’t comfortable talking. “This is the last box, so I guess we should head out now!”

Their last glimpses of the apartment made it seem small, not only in size, but in significance. Only large pieces of furniture remained, their already fading colors washed out and made duller by the draining afternoon light. The kitchen looked almost pitiful, with the old fridge magnets barely sticking and the appliances only managing to do their jobs. 

John realized that, maybe, this place wasn’t as important as he thought it was. 

\-----

Hercules tapped on the steering wheel, his fingers bouncing in time with the horridly loud music. It was wonder he could focus on the road at all. Lafayette hummed along, and gestured for John to do the same to ease his nerves. 

“I’m not much of a singer…”

“But the song has your name in it!”

“Please, no one  _ actually  _ calls me that.”

“Mhm, you like my nicknames better, don’t you Jacky?”

\-----

Unfortunately for Hercules, unpacking John’s bags went not-so-differently from earlier that day.

John was right about to pull Laf even closer to him for a kiss (despite being asked to help out at least a little) when his phone rang. 

_ Call from Henry Laurens. _

He didn’t answer. Today John was letting go. Or, trying to, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story is basically john forcing his work on other people in various places..... oops
> 
> so yEAH if any of yall were wondering what the song was it's Johnny Boy by twenty one pilots. (aka a song ive been listening to obsessively)
> 
> hopefully i'll upload the next chapter asap!!!


End file.
